Burglar alarm apparatus



June a, 1937.

B. GOLDSTONE BURGLAR ALARM APPARATUS Filed llay 14, 1929 INVENTOR BY Bewamm Gala stone ATTORNEY Patented June 8, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application May. 14,

4 Claims.

This invention relates to burglar alarm apparatus.

It is an object of this invention to provide, for use in an arrangement of the type in which an 5 opening to be guarded has a swinging closure,

means permitting the location within the enclosure to be guarded of the controls for a system, constructed to create an alarm upon an attempted opening of saidclosure, yet permitting the passage 10 through that opening of the one who makes the apparatus operative without initiating an alarm, said means being automatically set for this function by opening said closure prior to making the apparatus operative, and then being automati- 15 callyset to initiate an alarm upon closing said closure thereafter.

It is an object of this invention to provide, in alarm apparatus, a circuit-making switch in which va reciprocatingmember is utilized for completing the circuit, said member striking alternately the two sides of a contact, and making the circuit uponone contact, but being cut out of circuit at the other contact.

Itaiszanuobj'eot of this invention to provide a 0:1 circuit-making device in which a spring contact member .is used, together with a contactor slidingpastsaid member, the operation of said contactor being to strike and flex said member, said contactor and said member being arranged so that loss of resiliency of said member will in no Wayaffect the operation of said device.

It:is'.an.objec.t of this invention to provide, in burglar alarmapparatus, devices of-thecharacter set forth, of simple construction, easily assembled, which may be cheaply manufactured, and which, when assembled, may be easilyand simply -opera-ted bysanyone, withoutthe' necessity of skilled knowledge.

Other objects of this invention will in part be obvious and in parthereinafter pointed out.

The invention accordinglyconsists in the features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the constructions hereinafter described, and of which the scope ofapplication will be indicated in the, following claims.

In the accompanying drawing, in which is shown one of the various possible'illustrative embodiments of this invention,

Fig. l is a longitudinal transverse sectional view through an automatic switch embodying. the in- Vention; and

Fig. 2 is a sectional view, on the line 2-2, of Fig. 1.

The invention may be applied in connection 1929, Serial No. 362,884

with any suitable system, as, for instance, a burglar alarm system including an alarm means or gong, and a. plurality of circuit making means housed within an enclosure. At any suitable opening through the wall of the enclosure, a door or the like may be provided' for conveniently barring access through said opening. Said door may be so arranged as to be the only means of ingress to the enclosure, or may be so planned that, after all the other means of ingress have been locked from within the enclosure, the door will finally be locked from outside said enclosure.

After the system has been energized by someone within the enclosure, some means are necessary to permit egress of that person from the enclosure without initiating an alarm, and yet to provide an alarm initiating device for any movement of the door thereafter. The automatic switch 266 serves this purpose. It is mounted in a slat of the door frame so that the extending button 208 thereof will be engaged by a pr'esser arm carried" by the door. Switch 206, as hereinafter described, is constructed so that, if the door be initially opened, and then the switch of the system be closed, thereafter exit may be made from the premises without disturbing the alarm initiating mechanism. However, after the door has been moved substantially to closed position, switch 206 will automatically be set so that any attempt thereafter to open the door will result in the initiation of an alarm. Switch 206 may be shunted in the usual manner across the circuit wiresof the system, or may, in a proper case, be constructed for series operation.

Automatic switch 206 consists of a metallic plate 212, at one end of which is secured, in electrical connection therewith, a U-shaped member 2 l4. Button 208 is mounted to reciprocate through an-opening 216 in plate 2l2; a collar 2 l8 on the portion of button 208 within member 2M limits outward movement of button 208, a spring 220,- retained upon a pin 222, normally driving said button to theoutwardly extended position. Pin 222 is secured in member 2M, and extends into button 208, to provide a suitable guide for the latter. A finger 224 is secured against collar 2 l8 and extends through a slot 226 in one of the legs of member 2 l4, said slot having substantially the form shown in Fig. 2. Bythis arrangement, button 2ll8 and the associated finger 224 will be made to rotate as they move relatively to the plate 2 l2, and as the finger 224 is guided in slot 226.

Mounted on plate 212, at the end remote from member 2M, and insulated from plate 2l2, is an L-shaped member 228 of metal, to which is socured a spring member 230. Spring member 230 is biased from a horizontal plane so that, as finger 224 approaches it from either side under the guidance of slot 226, the plane of impact will be substantially perpendicular to the plane of member 230. By this arrangement, a positive wiping contact over a considerable period of time is obtained.

Secured at the extending end of member 230, is an insulating piece 232. Finger 224, in its reciprocating movement, makes contact alternately with the two sides of member 230. By mounting insulating piece 232 thereon, finger 224, on movement in one direction, will make no metallic, and therefore, no electrical, contact with spring member 230; on movement of finger 224 in the reverse direction, such electrical contact will be made. Also, after its movement along the inclined portion of slot 226, finger 224 will enter the substantially vertical portions of said slot, tending to press member 230 to one side and pass by, so that spring finger 230 may move to its normal, non-contacting position.

By means of a suitable insulated eyelet, metallic connection between member 228 and plate 212 is avoided, even though ordinary securing means, such as wood screws, or the like, be used, both for securing switch 206 to a support, and for making electrical connection with the wires of the circuit; another screw is inserted through a hole 233 provided therefor to retain said switch to said support.

It will therefore appear that, by positioning the insulating piece 232 on the proper side of memher 230, ii the door is opened beiore the system has been made operative, and then the system is made operative, closing the door will bring finger 224 into contact with piece 232 without the initiation of an alarm. However, any attempted entry through the door thereafter will result in bringing finger 224 into contact with metallic member 228, and the consequent initiation of an alarm.

It will thus be seen that there is provided a device in which the several objects of this invention are achieved and which is well adapted to meet the conditions of practical use.

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention, and as various changes might be made in the embodiments above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawing is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. In a switch structure for automatically making and breaking a circuit in response to the reciprocation of a member, the structure including a base, the member being reciprocable substantially perpendicularly through the base, a support carried by the base, a fiat spring prong ex tending towards the member from the support, a pin extending laterally from and substantially at right angles to the member, the pin being reciprocable with the member, guide means for the pin, the guide means being located between the prong and the path of movement of the member, the guide means including a slot of substantially uniform width throughout its length, the slot having the same general direction as the direction of movement of the member as it reciprocates, the slot consisting of a plurality of rectilinear sections forming obtuse angles with each other, the'prong end being disposed immediately adjacent an intermediate section of the slot and extending completely across the opening of that section, the direction of the prong being substantially that of the general direction of movement of the pin, the prong end being so arranged that the pin will be required to push at least one edge of the prong completely across the width oi the slot on a complete movement of the member in either direction, and an insulating plate secured to one face of the prong end.

2. In a switch structure for automatically making and breaking a circuit in response to the reciprocation of a member, the structure including a base, the member comprising a sleeve, the base having an opening therethrough for guiding the sleeve in its movement reciprocably substantially perpendicularly through the base, a support carried by the base, a fiat spring prong extending towards the member from the support, a pin extending laterally from and substantially at right angles to the member, the pin being reciprocable with the member, guide means for the pin, the guide means being located between the prong and the path of movement of the member, a spring, the spring seating against the guide means and within the bore of the sleeve, the guide means including a slot of substantially uniform width throughout its length, the slot having the same general direction as the direction of movement of the member as it reciprocates, the slot consisting of a plurality of rectilinear sections forming obtuse angles with each other, the prong end being disposed immediately adjacent an intermediate section of the slot and extending completely across the opening of that section, the direction of the prong being substantially that of the general direction of movement of the pin, the prong end being so arranged that the pin will be required to push at least one edge of the prong completely across the width of the slot on a complete movement of the member in either direction, and an insulating plate secured to one face of the prong end.

3. In a switch structure for automatically making and breaking a circuit in response to the reciprocation of a member, the structure including a base, the member being reciprocable substantially perpendicularly through the base, a support carried by the base, a fiat spring prong extending towards the member from the support, a pin extending laterally from and substantially at right angles to the member, the pin being reciprocable with the member, guide means for the pin, the guide means being located between the prong and the path of movement of the member, the guide means including a slot of a Width substantially uniform throughout its length constantly to engage and positively to guide the pin, the slot having the same general direction as the direction of movement of the member as it reciprocates, the slot consisting of a plurality of rectilinear sections forming obtuse angles with each other, the prong end being disposed immediately adjacent an intermediate section of the slot and extending completely across the opening of that section, the direction of the prong being substantially that of the general di rection of movement of the pin, the prong end being so arranged that the pin will be required to push at least one edge of the prong completely across the width of the slot on a complete movement of the member in either direction, and an insulating plate secured to one face of the prong end.

4. In a switch structure for automatically making and breaking a circuit in response to the reciprocation of a member, the structure including a base, the member being reciprocable substantially perpendicularly through the base, a support carried by the base, a flat spring prong extending towards the member from the support, a. pin extending laterally from and substantially at right angles to the member, the pin being reciprocable with the member, a U-shaped strap secured to the base so that the member, in its reciprocation, enters the enclosure of the U, and so that the prong end is located immediately at the outside face of a leg of the strap, said strap leg having a slot of substantially uniform width throughout its length, the slot having the same general direction as the direction of movement of the member as it reciprocates, the slot con sisting of a plurality of rectilinear sections forming obtuse angles with each other, the prong end being disposed immediately adjacent an inter mediate section of the slot and extending completely across the opening of that section, the direction of the prong being substantially that of the general direction of movement of the pin, the prong end being so arranged that the pin will be required to push at least one edge of the prong completely across the width of the slot on a complete movement of the member in either direction, and an insulating plate secured to one face of the prong at its end.

BENJAMIN GOLDSTONE. 

